Necessity as Growth Engine

It would seem effortless for children of rich parents to build on their inherited grand wealth. It seems like an advantage, but is it?

For every fortune built, many are squandered by the next generation. The Qin Dynasty, founded with brutal efficiency, was rapidly collapsed by its second generation, Qin Er Shi. The formidable monarchy consolidated by Louis XIV ("The Sun King") was ultimately undone by the indulgent ruler, Louis XVI, who languished from his self-serving extravagance. He saw the seeds of his own destruction.

Their children inherited wealth from their parents, but not their tenacity. They lacked the greatest trigger of all: necessity. Consequently, they could not sustain their parents' larger-than-life legacies. Their decay was inevitable.

Plenitude often weakens us. When we are secured, there is no impetus to act.

Scarcity and poverty are beneficial catalysts for the talented because they kindle a drive untethered by indulgence and trivialities. Without a safety net, one is forced to be intrepid.

When you are at your lowest point of life, you will get up out of existential necessity, forgoing pride and protocol.

If you are not, manufacture your own necessity: double your parents' achievement, stake your reputation on an outcome, declare your most ambitious goals publicly. Remember you have the resources at your disposal.